La Gloria Cubana Spanish Press Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)

Video review HERE.

***This is my 100th review of 2019***

(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)

The La Gloria Cubana Spanish Press is produced at the General Cigar Dominicana factory in the Dominican Republic. As with all La Gloria Cubana cigars rolled at that factory, it is produced in the El Credito Cigar Factory, a ’boutique-style “factory within a factory”. It is at that facility where the Spanish Press technique is applied to the rolled cigars.

With the Spanish Press technique, freshly rolled cigars are placed into wooden trays with dividers to apply uniform pressure to the cigars. The trays are then pressed to define their shape. After the cigars are pressed, the cigars are placed in specially sized boxes that apply slight pressure to maintain their shape.

The blend is described as “Nicaraguan-forward” and is a multinational blend highlighted by a Jalapa Nicaraguan wrapper, Mexican San Andres binder, and a combination of Nicaraguan Jalapa, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Brazilian Mata Fina. The cigars are available in three sizes: Robusto, Toro, and Gigante, each presented in 20-count boxes.

“This pressing method eliminates air pockets to deliver an optimal draw and output of smoke, resulting in an enhanced smoking experience,” commented Yuri Guillen, Production Manager of El Credito.

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa

Binder: Mexican San Andres

Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Brazilian Mata Fina

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: General Cigar Dominicana

Vitolas Offered

Robusto: 5 1/2 x 50 (SRP $6.29) REVIEWED TODAY

Toro: 6 1/2 x 52 (SRP $7.29)

Gigante: 6 x 60 (SRP $7.99)

The cigar is pretty much square in shape when viewed from the end. It has a nice feel in the hand for a robusto.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet, tangy orange citrus, light cedar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg that actually cuts some of the extreme sweetness. There is also a small amount of sweet chocolate. There is also a light black coffee base. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. At the outset this is a very sweet cigar with very little lower level notes.

At the first third (35 minutes) the cigar is just like it started; extremely sweet with the same notes. You can add sweet caramel to the mix of flavors adding even more sweetness. It can't be overstated that this cigar is very sweet. But, that also works slightly against it because the lower level notes are lagging. The cigar is medium bodied, leaning toward medium to full. The finish is also very sweet; citrus, brown sugar, and nutmeg with a nice amount of lingering black pepper. Even with the extreme sweetness the cigar is very good. I rated the first third at 92.

Moving through the second third (1 hour 7 minutes) the coffee notes rose somewhat moving the cigar closer to a balance. There are still citrus notes with some cedar mixed in, a lot of brown sugar, a lot of caramel, cinnamon, sweet chocolate, nutmeg, and black coffee. The cigar is now medium to full bodied. The finish continues to be very sweet and one of caramel, brown sugar, and nutmeg with nice lingering black pepper. With the elevated black coffee I am maintaining the score of 92 because it's more in balance and the first third score was anticipating the coffee notes rising.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 35 minutes. Quite a good burn time for a robusto. For me, the cigar was the best in the final third. The coffee and nutmeg notes rose up more and the cigar was pretty much in balance. The cigar has some depth. The other flavor notes are pretty much unchanged. This continues to be a very sweet cigar but there are now nice lower level notes. The cigar reached full bodied and it's actually quite full bodied. I think this would be a good cigar with a cup of stout, full bodied, dark roasted black coffee. This cigar surprised me with it's extreme sweetness and the burn time. I raised the final third score to 93. This has been a good cigar  and if you like very sweet cigars you will love this one. You can purchase these cigars or any of the other sizes HERE.

Overall Score: 92.33